10 tips for atmospheric portrait photography

Monday 8 August 2022, 13:31 by Laura van der Burgt | 6,003 views | 0 comments

This article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.

A sultry summer's day seems like the perfect time to take atmospheric portraits. Photos bursting with a summer feeling and evoking a longing for lazy days and lying carefree in the grass. On your back, staring at a blue sky, a blade of grass absent-mindedly between your lips.

A couple in love want to capture exactly this atmosphere in their photoshoot. How do you achieve that?

1. Moodboard

To get an idea of their wishes and expectations, it's useful to ask for a moodboard or example photos in advance. Pinterest is an excellent medium for this, and it helps you find out what kind of photos they are looking for.

This allows you to prepare for the atmosphere and poses in which someone would like to be photographed. In this case, it's romantic, but it could just as easily be tough or playful.

2. Avoid direct sunlight

During an outdoor loveshoot, you soon have to deal with bright sunlight and a deep blue sky. Light that creates harsh contrasts, deep shadows and blown highlights, and disappointing photos if you're not careful.

That's why it's important to avoid direct sunlight on your subject. You can do this by finding a shady area or waiting for that one cloud to pass in front of the sun.

A photoshoot on a summer's day without using flash requires good preparation, but also flexibility and the ability to anticipate unexpected gifts.

3. Golden hour

Choose the best time of day, preferably during the golden hour. This is early in the morning until around ten o'clock, or in the evening before sunset. The temperature is more pleasant then, the sun is not yet too bright and you have the best chance of beautiful warm, soft light.

Keep an eye on the weather forecast and arrange the appointment for the most favourable day.

4. Scout the location

The outdoor location is naturally one of the most important elements in creating the atmosphere. It's a good idea to scout the location the day before. Identify around three different spots where you want to take photos. This gives you enough variety in your photo report.

Take into account the position of the sun, where there is shade and how you can capture that beautiful light in the background.

5. High-key for that extra touch of atmosphere

An area of nature that you know well and where you can play with the light is preferable. I like to photograph with backlighting, while making sure the face is well lit. So the portrait or face is in the shade and the sun is in the background.

This results in an overexposed background, creating a high-key effect. This works very well for romantic photos.

6. Camera settings

High key requires a longer exposure time from your camera. If you overexpose by two stops, for example, you still want a fast shutter speed to freeze unwanted movement in the portrait.

It might be a good idea to set up or programme a menu on the camera specifically for portrait photography.

My choice of camera settings would be: image quality RAW, ISO 400, aperture f/4, eye detection, high-speed, daylight white balance, high priority clipping, neutral camera profile with as little contrast as possible. I choose to apply the image processing afterwards.

7. Background

When you're taking photos, try to avoid distracting elements in the background. You need to pay extra attention to this. For example, make sure no tree or pole appears to grow out of someone's head. One step to the left or right can make a huge difference to your composition.

You pay attention to the person you're photographing, while also keeping an eye on the background. Choose this just as deliberately as the pose or the light.

8. Clothing advice

Also give clothing advice and ask whether they are bringing any gadgets that fit the style in which you will be photographing them. In the case of a loveshoot: summer hats, sunglasses and romantic summer clothes in colours that complement each other.

Checking the clothing and gadgets beforehand is important to prevent any dust or fluff. Check that there are no creases in the clothes, no stray hairs left on the shoulders or, even worse, dandruff...

You would rather avoid that, as removing it in post-processing is a lot of unnecessary work.

The same applies to glasses and sunglasses. Are they clean, with no stray bits of dirt or marks on them? Add a clothes brush and a glasses cloth to the contents of your bag

9. Break

A photo session is intense and tiring. This applies to the people in front of the camera, but also to the photographer. Take a break during the session, providing a bottle of water and some quick snack bars for renewed energy.

The people being photographed are often a little nervous and won't think of it themselves, so they will be grateful to you.

10. Communication

Giving directions and continuing to talk about what you're doing or what you expect may seem excessive, but it isn't. An unexpected funny comment or an unexpected question can create spontaneous chemistry and therefore great photos.

Being able to put people at ease is a very useful quality to have.

Do you have any additional tips? Don't hesitate to share them with us!

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